Blair Underwood stars in remake of 'Ironside'

Blair Underwood in "Ironside"

Blair Underwood is starring in the new "Ironside."

Blair Underwood is starring in the new "Ironside."

Yvonne Villarreal

The hands tell the story.

Blair Underwood, walking the Studio City set of NBC's update of its '60s police procedural "Ironside," held his out for inspection. Clearly, they've been in circulation — slightly worn and toughened. A symptom of taking on the long-established character of the wheelchair-bound detective, Robert T. Ironside. "These puppies know their way around a tire," he said.

Underwood has done his own turning — in television. It's hard not to have seen the 49-year-old actor in one series or another in just the last decade. Harder to find him in a role without a bit of swagger. He's played a hunky doctor on "Sex and the City," a hunky philanthropic billionaire on "Dirty Sexy Money," a hunky fourth-grade teacher in "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and the president of the United States in "The Event."

"TV has been good to me," he said. "I'm still in the game. Let's hope it stays that way. Let's hope this sticks."

Remaking a classic TV series probably won't thrill new generations uninterested in their parents' pleasures or old-timers irritated by the imitation (e.g. "Charlie's Angels,""Dragnet"). Then there are the success stories ("Hawaii Five-0,""Dallas") that continue to make reboots a desirable option come development time.

The original "Ironside," with the formidable Raymond Burr as the lead, ran on NBC for nearly 200 episodes, from 1967 to 1975, with impressive ratings — a high bar for the struggling network to reach.

"It was done once, and done well," Underwood said of the original detective drama. "We're not naive about that."

Underwood comes into the gig after a stint in the Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire," where he assumed the role of Stanley, made famous by Marlon Brando, so he's familiar with the challenge of following a legend.

Emily Mann, who directed the stage production, thinks if anyone is up to the task, it's Underwood.

"When it comes to reinventing a role — the role of someone as iconic as Stanley — he just blew me away," Mann said. "He threw all that baggage away and acted as if it had never been done before. I watched 'Ironside' as a child, and I was hooked on it, so I get the skepticism. But knowing Blair, I know he's thinking hard about bringing something fresh and alive and in no way a copy of what Burr did."

Characters with disabilities have figured into recent shows (Walt Jr. of "Breaking Bad," Artie of "Glee"), but rarely as the protagonist. The fall brings two: Michael J. Fox as a version of himself dealing with Parkinson's disease and Underwood as a paraplegic detective.

Ironside finds himself in a wheelchair after a gunshot wound (viewers are introduced to Underwood's character two years after the incident). And that's where the similarities between the two versions mostly stop.

The San Francisco backdrop is swapped for New York. His impairment comes as a result of a botched attempt to catch a suspect, not from a sniper's bullet, which leads to psychological issues for his onetime partner, played by Brent Sexton ("The Killing").

And Underwood's Ironside is slightly more independent-minded. The handles on his wheelchair are gone (in the original, Ironside is shuttled around by a helper), and it's quickly established that Bobby T., as Underwood affectionately dubs his character, has a way with the ladies. And he's slightly more bitter and angry, and law-defying.

"He wants nobody's pity," said Underwood between takes. "He knows when to ask for help, sure, but he's capable of a lot."

That reality, in particular, is why the show has caused some commotion. Some disabled actors protested the casting of a walking actor playing a paraplegic, arguing that there are capable disabled actors who could inhabit the role. Producers defended their decision by noting the show's use of flashbacks that depict the detective before the life-changing shooting.

The responsibility the role bears is not lost on Underwood. To familiarize himself with the chair, he used one at home while learning lines. And he has worked closely with technical advisor David Bryant, who became a paraplegic after a skiing accident at 19.

Underwood understands the issues on a personal level. The actor's mother, Marilyn, is in a wheelchair as the result of multiple sclerosis. "We've never had many conversations about what she was feeling. It's been therapeutic, for me and her, to go there."